


Hokage's Bride

by Yojimbra



Category: Naruto
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Genderbending, Hokage, Idiots in Love, Romance, burden of leadership, fem naruto, persona 5 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2018-11-10 02:58:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11118483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yojimbra/pseuds/Yojimbra
Summary: Itachi Uchiha is Konoha's youngest Hokage by nearly a decade. Between external politics internal politics and attempting to bridge the gap between Konoha and the Uchiha he now has to put up with Shisui's constant attempts of setting him up with Naruto Uzumaki. A task that becomes much harder with each passing year. Non-Massacre Hokage ItachiElements of Persona 5 in there.





	1. Chapter 1

Itachi had to resist the urge to be concerned when he received a summons from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage of Konoha. 

The summon's worried Itachi. He was to appear atop the Hokage tower with the stipulation, “Arrive in formal clothes.” Which was an issue, considering that was not something he owned. Outside of his Anbu uniform, he barely had any clothing that wasn’t either simple, black and casual or normal training attire. If the message wasn’t so urgent, Itachi would have consulted his father. 

After getting dressed in his “best” clothes, Itachi headed towards the directed destination. There were more oddities as he made his way there. Why were there so many people in the streets? It was as if there was festival going on. Not quite as immense as some of the holiday events Konoha is accustomed to, but much larger and more organized than a market day should be. 

His worries were compounded when he spotted the Hokage tower. Hiruzen stood on the roof looking out over the populous. Did Itachi miss an important event? None came to mind. In addition, there were several jounin present on top of the building as well. Notable members included Might Gai and Kakashi Hatake, as well as the Ino-Shika-Cho leaders. 

Though most importantly was his friend, Shisui, who had the biggest most unnerving smile on his face. The pit in his stomach only grew.

“Lord Hokage?” Itachi addressed the Kage as he landed next to the old man. Hiruzen turned and smiled at Itachi. Itachi did not like that smile. It was a knowing smile. An apologetic smile. 

Hiruzen was planning something. Something Itachi knew he wasn’t going to like. 

“Ahh, Itachi,” The Hokage greeted while handing him a white cloak. “Put this on quickly.”.

Itachi took the garment and examined it briefly before looking around at the others around him. No one else was wearing anything similar. 

“Come now, we don’t have much time.” Hiruzen urged as he turned to face the crowd. 

Loyal as always, Itachi sighed as he flung the cloak around his shoulders and slipped his arms in. He noticed briefly the red letters on its back. “Godaime”, it read. Itachi felt his blood freeze. 

“Lord Hokage?” Itachi whispered out shortly. He was wearing the cloak. Why was he wearing the cloak? He shouldn’t have put on the cloak. He saw Hiruzen take a deep breath before a wide, victorious smile of a plan coming together spread across the man’s wrinkled face. 

“Citizens of Konoha.” Hiruzen outstretched his arms, taking off his hat. The hat of the Hokage. The hat Itachi had never seen Hiruzen without. The hat that was rumored to be glued onto the old man's head by a prank. The hat that was rumored to be cursed with killing whoever wore it. Hokage’s just didn’t die of old age. “It has been my honor and my privilege to serve as your Hokage.”

Itachi’s mind was filled completely and utterly with nothing, for the first time in his life he had no answers! There was just no way this was actually happening. No way it should be happening. This was a genjutsu, right? Itachi’s eyes quickly darted to his father as he appeared in the crowd, looking equally perplexed and confused. 

“Now the time has come to once again name a new Hokage,” Hiruzen said proudly. “So I present to you, ” Itachi was suddenly standing before the Sandaime. How did that happen? He didn’t remember his legs moving. This was a dream, right? How would this mend the ties between the village and Uchiha? “Your Godaime Hokage, Itachi Uchiha!” 

Blinking in confusion, Itachi felt his arm began to wave. He turned to see Hiruzen smiling at him. Itachi still did not like that smile. 

“What?” was all Itachi could say as he continued to wave at the village in front of him. There was shock and a slow gasp. Then, with a few sudden movements, the crowd erupted into a flurry of cheers. 

“I am placing a horrible burden on you,” Hiruzen said next to him. “But, I believe this is the best course of action for the Leaf. If you need my counsel, I’ll be here for you. ” Itachi could only nod dumbly.

At the age of sixteen years, he had become the first Uchiha Hokage. 

XXXX

Itachi gave a long yawn that seemed to last forever. He threw his arms back over his head and pressed against the back of his chair. He leaned back just far enough for the front chair legs to lift off the ground slightly, holding the pose for a moment to make certain that he was suitably stretched. 

He righted himself then stared at his desk. On active duty, he would never have yawned like that. Perhaps being the Hokage was making him soft? As though to prove something to himself, Itachi casually tossed his pen towards a fly that had entered the office nearly an hour ago. 

 

He sat in the relative silence of the Hokage’s office for a few moments as he relished in a small bit of self-satisfaction. That fly had been a minor annoyance since it first appeared. Looking up at the clock, he realized he only had thirty minutes until his assistant would come with the afternoon’s stack of paperwork and inform him of his next appointments. 

When Hiruzen had appointed him Hokage, the old man had apologized profusely about the heavy burden of paperwork. His predecessor had made it sound like a death sentence. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. As long as he stayed on top of it, it wouldn’t stack up. 

“I see our Hokage is hard at work keeping the fly population of Konoha in check,” Shisui said as he climbed through the window. The life of an elite jonin agreed with Shisui a great deal. Even when he was his normal cheerful self, there was a subtle bit of extra joyfulness in the way he talked. 

Itachi could have sworn that he had locked that window this morning. Still, he leaned forward at the welcomed intrusion and placed his elbows on the desk, his fingers interlacing to form a bridge in front of his face. “Yes, well, apparently I can’t trust Leaf Jonin to keep windows shut. I believe we may have an epidemic on our hands.” 

Shisui got the hint and closed the window. There was a smile on his face as he did a silly walk around the office. “Man, I still can’t believe they made you the Hokage after everything that happened.” 

“It should have been you.” He meant it too. Without Shisui, everything would have been much worse. It was fortunate that their plan had succeeded and now the Uchiha were loyal to Konoha. It was hollow at first. Now, however, the Uchiha loved their home as much as he did. 

A crude boorish snort came from Shisui as he went about reorganizing a few books on the bookshelf. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that chair! It’s boring just sitting there all day; I’d be months behind on paperwork and probably just hanging out at the academy right now. So, you’re perfect for the job! You actually manage to do the homework without setting it on fire!”

Pausing, he placed one final book in the wrong spot and spun to look at Itachi. “You don’t burn it, do you?” 

“Just a few of the confidential reports I receive.” Itachi couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at the look of sheer horror his friend wore. He gave Shisui a knowing smile. “So, you’ve been to the academy recently? Does that mean you’ve thought about my offer?” 

Shisui shrugged and made his way to a potted plant that he needlessly adjusted. He was doing this on purpose to mess with Itachi. It wasn’t working. “A bit, yea. I do admit that being around Konoha more does appeal to me but, why me?” 

“Why not you?” Itachi began in earnest, placing his hand down onto the table to stand away from his desk. He crossed the distance to Shisui and put the plant back in its original position. “You’re easily one of Konoha’s more recognizable ninja and, furthermore, if you could teach a group of genin to love Konoha and peace as much as you do, then Konoha would be all the more for it.” 

“I could just use my Sharingan on them all,” Shisui offered with a flat no-nonsense expression. It only lasted for a moment before both of them gave a soft chuckle. When it was over, he placed a hand on Itachi’s shoulder and nodded. “Fine, I’ll take a team this year but, I want to pick them.” 

Shifting on his feet, Itachi’s smile vanished into a small frown that was better suited for delivering bad news. “That’s not how it works.” 

“Then, no deal.” 

“I could order you to do it.” 

“That’s not how you work.” 

That half cocked grin Shisui gave him should be outlawed for how stupid it looked. Shisui was on the verge of drowning in self-satisfaction at his little quip. Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, defeated. He whirled around in mock anger and waved his hand in the air. “I can at least hear you out.” 

The smugness was nearly radiating from his friend. He had to admit he was curious at what kind of dream team Shisui could dream up with this year's potential graduates. Sitting down, he regarded his friend, who had attempted to stealthily spin the plant back around. “Well?” 

Shisui took two large steps and stood in the center of the Hokage office. He gave the standard bow that Itachi would never get used to receiving, though that stupid smug smile of his remained. “I request Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki be placed under my tutelage.”

“And?” Itachi rolled his hand forward in an attempt to get Shisui to continue. 

“And what?” Shisui asked, his face twisting into confusion. At least his complacent look finally retreated. 

Itachi sighed and slouched into his chair, now aware that he was hungry. Shisui always did have a habit of exhausting him. “Who is your third member? Teams are evaluated as a whole, not just with the synergies between two members. Besides, why those two?” 

“I want to set them up.” 

“You’re just using this as an excuse to play matchmaker, aren’t you?” Itachi smacked his lips and groaned into the palm of his hand. 

Shisui just smiled again, it wasn’t the smug smile from before it was the same smile he wore when they had avoided an Uchiha coup. “Call it strengthening the bond between the Uchiha and Konoha. That little girl represents a lot and, given her heritage, there is no doubt she’ll make a name for herself.” 

The worse part about this whole conversation was that Shisui made sense. Beyond that, Naruto may be good for Sasuke, and vice versa. He might calm her down a bit. Still, there was a reason for the team system. “Figure out a third member and I’ll hear you out.”

Shisui pouted but gave a curt nod. “Fine. By the way, if this doesn’t go through, I’m resuming operation ‘Get Itachi laid’” 

Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. “Speaking of romance, how are you and Futaba?” 

“A lot better actually, she went outside on her own yesterday. She even said she’d like to go out on a date later this week!” Shisui’s smile returned as he talked about the unusual woman from R&D that he had rescued from Orochimaru nearly a year ago. She was a brilliant researcher, albeit incredibly shy. For nearly six months the only person she would speak to directly was Shisui. 

Somehow, he fell in love with her. 

“I see, that’s good.” Itachi had only spoken to Futaba a few times recently, the girl was afraid of anything that wasn’t Shisui or his cat Morgana. As the Hokage, he saw her as a valuable resource to Konoha, as a friend he was happy for his friend, a good life partner seemed so hard to find. 

“Hey, you should come get drinks with me tonight!” 

“I’m not old enough.” 

“You’re the Hokage! Nobody’s going to tell you that you’re too young to drink! Hell, you could easily pass a law right now to change the drinking age.”

Itachi allowed a feeling of triumph to wash over him as he responded with, “That’s not how I work.”

Shisui groaned, deflating to one side so that his shoulder slumped. “Come on, you’ve never even had a girlfriend! We need to get you out there! It’s not like the love of your life is going to fall from the sky and land in your lap.” 

Part of him knew that Shisui was right but, that didn’t matter. A love life was the last thing on Itachi’s mind. He had to balance being the Hokage, being the next head of the Uchiha clan (a job he desperately wanted to pass on to Sasuke), and maintaining his skills as a ninja. He had no time for romance. 

Besides, being free from a relationship meant he could accept a political marriage to put Konoha in a better position. 

Suddenly, a loud crack ringing out from above him caused him to look up. There was an unexpected, new hole in his ceiling. Then, an eep echoed as the roof fully fell in, sprinkling Itachi and his desk in debris. 

A small blonde girl was now in his lap. She was heavier than she looked. 

Itachi brushed a bit of drywall out of Naruto’s hair and allowed her to shift so that she was sitting comfortably on his legs. He gave her a soft smile. “Good, afternoon Naruto. Here for my weekly assassination attempt?”

The girl blushed and gave a slight nod. She took the kunai in her hand and poked Itachi in the chest with the handle. “Hiyaa.” 

“We’ll call this attempt successful then.” Itachi mused, looking up towards Shisui to see a happy face that filled him with dread. He narrowed his eyes and briefly wondered if he had any suicide mission available. 

“Don’t even think about it, Shisui.” 

Shisui grinned. “Too late!”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, I was thinking.” 

Itachi sighed, it was too early for this. He was awake enough to fight life and death for his village however, being awake enough for Shisui was an entirely different story. The withering look he gave Shisui would make a normal ninja fearful. Instead, the man seemed to revel in the trouble he was causing. 

“Oh, well that’s dangerous,” Itachi responded dryly.

Shisui just smiled and fell in stride with Itachi as they made their way to his office. “Well yea, it was my plan that made you Hokage.”

“I expect a formal apology written by nightfall,” Itachi commented as Shisui opened the door for him with an exaggerated bow. He felt a refined sense of purpose as he noted the moderate stack of paperwork resting on his desk. It was larger than normal. Hopefully, the yearly reports were there so he could see whether or not the village had improved under his leadership. 

“Oh, please. You love it!” Shisui all but skipped to the recently organized bookcase. He grabbed a book, flipped through the pages, and then put it back, upside down and backwards. 

Itachi did his best to ignore it and sat down at his desk. He thumbed his finger through documents, excited that the yearly reports were indeed within the pile. Perhaps some of his changes had yielded results already! But first, he had to remove Shisui so that he could work in peace. “So, what was your idea?”

Shisui shrugged. After placing a book sideways on top of the other books, he spun on his heel to face Itachi. “Oh yea, about the third member of my team. Aaaand pause of dramatic effect... I want Ino Yamanaka.” 

“Denied,” Itachi folded his drummed his fingers on the desk twice as he spoke. “As the Yamanaka heir, she will be placed on a team with her Nara and Akimichi classmates.” Of those suspected to pass, there was an unusually high percentage of females, so Shisui’s request to have a two girl team wasn’t out of the question. “Care to explain why you think that Ino would be a good fit for your team?”

“She’s a blond and likes Sasuke.” Shisui waved his hand at the notion and began to drag one of the shelves into the center of the room. The furniture screeched loudly as it moved, as if he was purposely trying to make as much noise as possible. 

“Somebody that didn’t know you as well as I do would have demoted you a long time ago.” 

Shisui gave a bark of laughter and sat down atop the bookshelf. “Then why did you promoted me?” 

Itachi gave his friend a simple shrug then glanced down at his paperwork and made a motion with his hand as though presenting it to Shisui. “I’d promote you to genin, at least. Now, do you have other candidates or are you just going to watch me sign papers?” 

“I have a list!” Shisui dug deep into the top left pocket of his flak jacket. After a needlessly long search, Shisui pulled out the tiniest scroll Itachi had ever seen. It was nearly the same width and length of his pinky finger. Shisui unrolled the parchment and had to adjust its distance from his face several times in order to read it properly. “First up, uhh, Ami something or other?”

“Who?”

“Never mind. Um, Hinata Hyuuga?”

“Requested by Kurenai Yuhi”

Shisui looked up from his list and narrowed his eyes at the Hokage before continuing. “Kibana Inuzaka?”

“You mean Kiba Inuzuka?”

“...oooooh, that’s right! Hana’s little brother!” Shisui nodded to himself, clearly proud that he remembered that. “Ummm, Sakura Haruno?” 

Itachi sighed into his hand. Knowing Shisui, every single female was listed on that little scroll of his. “Okay, I’ll humor you. Why would the three of them make a good team?”

Shisui opened his mouth, but Itachi cut him off with a sharp, “And it better not involve the girl liking Sasuke! Come to me with a good reason why you think Sakura should be on a team with him and Naruto and I will grant your request.” 

Shisui’s pouted and haphazardly tossed the tiny scroll over his shoulder. “Fine,” With a dramatic huff, he slouched heavily on his perch and then slid to the ground. “Since you’re so eager to do paperwork, I’ll leave you to it.” 

With the click of his pen, Itachi smirked. Though Shisui looked like a dejected lover as he left the room, his friend was right. He did enjoy doing paperwork. “I look forward to your reasoning, Shisui!”

XXXX

His predecessor had used a brush and inkwell. It was old fashioned, but Sarutobi was an old man that had lead Konoha well. 

Itachi had pens. Thirteen of them. Ten of them were congratulatory gifts from various officials when he became the Hokage. Two were stolen from his father’s office (They were gifts his father had received, but Fugaku was old fashioned as well). And the last one was new, something that he had bought for himself once he realized that he had a growing fondness of pens. 

They were wonderful instruments that allowed him to effortlessly sign his name and fill out forms in one fluid motion, with no need to pause to reapply ink.Cleaner in both marks and to keep around. No concern of ruining a document with a knocked over inkwell or random drops of ink, only thin perfect lines. 

Plus, when he finished his paperwork he could pass the time with them. Like click the retractable ones and take them apart to make sure that each one was aligned perfectly. He bit his tongue in concentration as he stood one pen up on its tip so that it was perpendicular to the desk. With a fluid motion, he grabbed another with his left hand and one more with his right. 

He balanced one pen on top of last, then another. A tower of three pens wobbled once before steadying. With his lip between his teeth, Itachi retrieved the remainder of his pens and began to throw them up onto the tower, one after another they settled with such precision that any imbalance caused by their landing was corrected by the following pen. 

Itachi examined his tower of twelve pens with something close to pride. The final pen in his hand felt light. It was a gift from the Fire Lord, the perfect capstone for his tower. Using his chair as a step-stool, Itachi placed his capstone perpendicular to the rest of his tower so that it was parallel to his desk. 

His door was kicked opened with the force of a hurricane, causing his tower to fall before he even had a chance to admire its completion. Itachi quickly sat down, collecting the rain of pens from midair. He assumed the perfect Hokage pose, hands folded primly on the desk with an arc of writing utensils spread around him. 

“Hello mother,” Itachi greeted before her foot returned to the ground. Mikoto Uchiha was one of the few people that could get away with using violence against his office door. She was dressed neatly, though a few strands of hair had fallen out of place. In her arms she carried a stand, multiple scrolls, and a large flip book of paper. Perhaps her oddest accessory though was his secretary’s hands around one of her ankles, desperately clamping tight in a failed attempt to stop his mother’s entrance. 

She paused, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him. It was the knowing look a mother gave when she knew her child was up to no good. “What were you doing?”

“Being the Hokage,” Itachi responded cheekily, not being able to resist smiling at his mother’s peeved expression. He gestured towards the objects she was holding. “What brings you to my office?” 

Mikoto grunted and shook herself free from the secretary, shutting the door shut hard behind her. She slammed down the stand in front of the desk and revealed the first of her slides. Itachi blinked back in surprise.

“I’m here to obtain approval to make Naruto Uzumaki an Uchiha protectorate,” she declared, daring him to deny her this. 

His mouth opened to reply, but he closed it shortly after. He had to choose his words carefully right now. “Believe me mother, I know from experience that you are skillful at raising children. You are right in thinking that the Uchiha clan would be a safe place for Naruto to thrive and grow.” 

Mikoto brightened greatly at that and clapped her hands together. “Excellent! I can pick her up from the academy today and-” 

“However,” Itachi cut his mother off quickly. He was certain she already had everything planned out for Naruto’s transfer into the clan’s compound. “There are circumstances that prevent me from agreeing to this.”

“If this about her being the Kyuubi container, then don’t worry,” she assured him confidently. “Nobody in the clan would dare do anything to hurt her if she was under our protection.” Mikoto stomped forward with her hands on her hips, glaring down at her son. Had she been anybody other than his own mother, it would have been a death sentence to look at him with such defiance. 

Itachi held his mother’s gaze. In a way, this was exciting. His mother had never been so angry with him before. “I am not worried about the clan hurting her, or her hurting the clan. I am worried about the rest of Konoha,”

He had lost much sleep thinking about how he could mend his clan’s image “Much of the stress and the distrust that was laid upon our clan can be derived from the Kyuubi attack. To take Naruto under our care could be seen as an aggressive move.” 

“You can’t do this! I’m her godmother!” Mikoto screamed in frustration. She took a step back to take a long, calming breath. She opened her folder and pulled out what looked like an ancient napkin. “Here, I have proof. Kushina entrusted Naruto to me.”

Itachi examined her evidence. It was scrawled in messy letters and signed by both his own mother and Kushina Uzumaki, with a third signature as the witness that was little more than scribbles. He sighed and placed both hands on his desk It pained him to deny his mother something she so desperately wanted, just as it pained him to deny Naruto a home that she desperately needed. “I’m sorry mom, but a napkin is not a legally binding document.” 

Mikoto glared at him. Years of Anbu training nearly failed him. “Itachi Uchiha, you will listen to me this instant or else!” 

Despite the fear, or perhaps because of it, Itachi chuckled. “Mother, are you threatening the Hokage?” 

“No,” She leaned over and poked him in the chest. “I am threatening my son. I brought you into this world, Itachi. I can take you out of it.” 

And with that, Mikoto spun on her heel and stormed out of his office. She closed the door with enough force that several of the portraits fell from their hooks. 

Itachi stared at her flip book for a long moment, drumming his fingers along his desk’s wooden surface. He realigned one of the pens that had fallen out of place earlier.

He could really use some paperwork right about now. 

XXXX

Nearly a week passed and Itachi was rather concerned. Yesterday he had received a request to join the clan tonight for a formal dinner, advertising that a special announcement was going to be made. The last dinner that the clan had held was when his promotion to Hokage was announced. But it wasn’t the event that bothered him, it was the invitation itself. Beautifully handwritten and signed by his mother. 

Was she planning on disowning him for his transgressions against her status as Naruto’s godmother? At the very least, this invitation proved his mother was still up to something. However, he had no choice but to show up wearing his new formal attire. Which just so happened to be a finer set of his Hokage robes. 

He arrived unescorted to the clan compound and was immediately accosted by a smiling Shisui. It was one of those smiles. The type he didn’t trust. It spoke of a plan that had come together perfectly and, when Shisui wore the expression, it meant that fate had just been drastically changed.

“You’re looking as Hokage-like as ever, Itachi,” Shisui greeted with an outstretched hand. 

Itachi ignored his friend’s gesture, narrowing his eyes instead. “What are you up to, Shisui?” 

Shisui crossed his legs, leaning to one side while standing. “Hmm, well let's see here… My only current plans are marrying Futaba and setting you up with Naruto! Other than that, all my other vile machinations have been complete.” 

“You’re aware that she’s twelve right?” Itachi muttered as he walked through the gates. Shisui matched his stride in a heartbeat. 

“And you’re seventeen. That’s only five years! It’s the same age difference between Futaba and I,” Shisui hummed happily as he walked in an exaggerated fashion, as if he didn’t have knees. 

“What if I were to make arrangements for a political marriage, in order to maintain peace and put the leaf in a safer position?” Itachi asked as they rounded a corner through his mother’s garden. It was a practical garden filled with vegetables and medical flowers. The tomatoes looked lovely this year. 

They passed by several Uchiha who all bowed their heads in respect. 

Shisui snorted as they exited the greenery. “They say behind every great man is a great woman. Your great woman needs to love Konoha more than you do.” 

“That’s a tall order.” Itachi gave a small bow as he entered the main dining hall. He had to pause when he saw his mother smiling genuinely at him. All the love and compassion she could muster filled her gaze. But, that wasn’t why he froze.

Shisui leaned close to whisper in Itachi’s ear. “I know, that’s why she’s five years younger than you.” 

Itachi gulped. Naruto standing in front of his mother with her normally wild, blond hair straight and combed behind her back. She wore a soft, yellow Kimono with light flowers patterning it. It looked expensive. None of that is what shocked him though. 

Stretched across her face was the most unbelievably happy, little smile. 

“I, umm, thank you for giving me a family, Itachi!” Naruto bowed deeply, her tone shifted between shouting and mumbling every other word, clearly nervous.

Mikoto clasped her hands on Naruto’s shoulders, brimming with joy. “I’m so glad you saw reason, Itachi.” 

He couldn’t stop his own lips as they twitched upwards. “I- yes, well, I hope that you’ll be happy here, Naruto. Do try to keep Sasuke out of trouble and take good care of my mother.” 

Naruto nodded furiously, grin still in place.

Itachi leaned towards Shisui’s, whispering,“You placed a genjutsu on the legal guardian forum, didn’t you?” 

“Are you more annoyed that we went behind your back or that I messed with your paperwork?”

Itachi rolled his eyes and left Shisui for better company.

Uchiha formal dinners were a stuffy, rigid affair. Honor and station dictated where you sat just as much as family and merit. And so it was that Itachi found himself sitting at the head of the table, as an Uchiha that was also an honored guest of the clan. Which, due to the role Shisui played in Itachi’s promotion and his own personal accomplishments, he was placed to Itachi’s right.

Then to Itachi’s immediate left was the guest of honor. Naruto Uzumaki. The girl’s excitement at the food in front of her slowly began to die as it was replaced by a deep sense of embarrassment. She was overwhelmed on so many levels. Itachi feared she may shut down completely. 

“So, Naruto,” Itachi spoke lowly, so as to not startle her, and yet she still jumped at the quiet sound of her name. “Tell me how are your classes going.” 

“I, umm...” Naruto turned him, biting her lip, then looked around the room like a frightened kitten, continuously mumbling incoherent nonsense that Itachi failed to understand. 

With a sigh, Itachi patted her on the back. “You know, Naruto, if you’re going to take my place as Hokage someday, you’re going to be attending a lot more dinners like this.” 

Naruto perked up and straightened her back. She took several large breaths, shaking slightly with each exhale. 

Before Itachi could comfort Naruto again, his father spoke up. 

“I thank you all for coming to this dinner on such short notice. We are gathered here for many reasons, chief among them to welcome Naruto Uzumaki into our family. While she may not be Uchiha by blood, she has been placed under our care by my son, Itachi, our fifth Hokage. As such, I ask that you treat her as though she was an Uchiha at birth. Now then,” he paused, nodding towards the food.”Let us eat.” 

The clan as a whole began to eat their meals in relative silence. Both Itachi and Shisui had always thought that the whole ordeal was rather annoying. It was nearly taboo to make any noise during the meal, the majority of the conversation being directed towards the beginning and ending of the dinner. 

Could Naruto truly be at home with such rigid and quiet people? The Inuzuka or perhaps the Akimichi, or any of the louder clans, would surely be a better fit for a girl like Naruto. 

A loud slurp pierced the silence of the room and all eyes fell to Naruto, even Itachi’s. Naruto looked from around her small bowl of soup, frozen in embarrassment. Second by second her face slowly began to heat up until she was nearly as red as one of his mother’s tomatoes.

Itachi picked up his own bowl of soup with both hands, locking eyes with Shisui as he did the same. This was something they should have done long ago. They smiled and slurped loudly from their bowls. 

Naruto looked at them in shock before breaking out into a giant grin, joining in on the slurping fun. 

Next, Sasuke took a much louder slurp than Itachi had. Then Mikoto copied him, followed by Fugaku as his wife prodded him. One by one the Uchiha all began to drink loudly from their bowls. 

Itachi smiled, perhaps Naruto would be alright with the Uchiha.


	3. Chapter 3

“So…. how did Naruto steal the sacred scroll from you?” 

Itachi felt his cheeks flush pink, now grateful for the blanket of night making it impossible to see. Still, he pressed forward and took the lead from Shisui with a leap that allowed him to clear two buildings at once. When he had encountered Naruto nearly an hour ago inside the Hokage’s residence, there were many things he had expected from the Uchiha’s most recent ward. Such as her to be lost, her to make another half-hearted attempt on his life, or to beg for another chance at becoming a genin. However, it seemed that Naruto was craftier and more desperate than he had originally realized. 

“I,” Itachi paused and tasted the words in his mouth before admitting them. “I let my guard down around her.” 

He could feel Shisui’s mirth as they reached the outer wall. The only person that knew what had happened was the third Hokage, who was now overseeing the search for Naruto as the head coordination officer. Shisui had just naturally leapt to his own, enigmatic conclusions after receiving the call to action. 

“Aww, did little Naruto confess her love to you? Were so overwhelmed by emotions you could only stand there while she stole the scroll?” Shisui increased his speed so that Itachi could see his smile. 

Itachi cringed, the memory was far to embarrassing for him to speak aloud. That vile jutsu was still fresh in his mind. “Not exactly.” 

The second they got that scroll back, he was going to force Naruto put that creative jutsu in it, forbid her from using it ever again, and then lock the scroll away forever. Then, his mother apparently needed to discuss sex education with Naruto.

Still, despite the dire situation, he understood why Naruto had done it. Failing to become a genin again had been driven her to desperation. She thought that her career as a ninja had ended before it even began, which couldn’t be further from the truth, especially for Naruto. While he certainly had wanted Naruto to pass and be placed on Shisui’s team, her failing could have been a boon in the long run. 

He felt like he was just as much to blame for this night as Naruto. In his rush to make certain that Naruto would be taken care of, he had forgotten to actually take care of her. His negligence due to, perhaps, a strong desire to complete paperwork had caused this. Maybe he wasn’t fit to be the Hokage after all. 

“Don’t look so glum.” Flat and serious, Shisui’s tone had nearly nothing of its usual mockery. Shisui nodded up ahead towards a sight that made his skin crawl and blood boil. 

Mizuki had Naruto pinned against the wall with one hand and a kunai in the other. 

“And now, I’ll be known as the Hero that killed the Kyuubi,” Mizuki slathered his words in malicious intent. 

“But I didn’t do anything! I would never hurt Konoha!” Naruto cried out as she struggled against his grasp. “I only took the scroll because you said I could be a ninja if I learned a jutsu from it!” 

Rage flashed through Itachi as the world blurred around him. There was no plan of attack, he simply acted. Mizuki’s throat was in his hand in the blink of an eye, pressing the academy teacher up against the shed barely a foot away from where Naruto stood frozen. 

“You will suffer,” he whispered darkly, leaning over him. 

The world turned red around them. 

Itachi knew what to do purely by instinct. In here, in this illusion, he could break Mizuki. Time was not a factor here. Slow and painful, he planned on making this shinobi suffer. He knew his was his fault on so many awful levels.

He killed Mizuki seventy-two times in the span of a second, his screams blending together into one harmonious sound. 

Itachi gasped as his jutsu faded, returning to reality. That had not been the plan. He had used his ultimate genjutsu without even thinking about it. Was being betrayed by his own ninja the cause of such an extreme reaction, or something else entirely? Mizuki fell to the ground as little more than a catatonic husk. 

Staring at his crumpled form, he thought again that maybe he truly didn’t deserve to be the Hokage. In the Anbu, you just had to follow orders. Even when in charge of the command, your orders were only for the mission at hand. But, as Hokage, his directives extended far beyond simple mission parameters. 

Naruto latched onto him tightly from behind, burying her head into his white robes. She whimpered softly and tried to speak, but all that came out were quiet sobs. With her vice-like grip, Naruto squeezed him against her. 

“Are you okay?” It was such a stupid question to ask, but he needed her confirmation. 

This was all his fault. 

Due to his negligence, Naruto had suffered. He now understood the Third’s reluctance to tell Naruto about her condition and, in the world of peace Itachi was striving for, he had hoped she would never need to know. But, Naruto’s ignorance had left her open to exploitation. 

She remained wordless until Itachi returned her hug, rubbing small circles across her back. 

“Is it true,” she finally asked it was the quietest he had ever heard her speak. 

“Shisui, take Mizuki and and the scroll to the Third Hokage,” Itachi commanded with practiced grace. Though, even now, he feared he may be speaking out of turn. So much of this could have been avoided if a better leader had been selected. 

Shisui nodded, but froze when they made eye contact. “Itachi, your eyes.” 

Itachi shook his head, putting the conversation on hold. “I know, we’ll talk later.” 

He scooped Naruto up into his arms and the girl immediately flung her arms around his neck. Tonight was going to be long. Perhaps, if there was time, he would try to find somebody that would make a better leader than him. 

He was far too young for this. 

XXXX

He took Naruto to his living room rather than his office, which would feel too impersonal with the area crowded with ninja. Taking her to his mother was also out of the question, partially because he blamed himself for this situation and seeing his mother would only make everything worse. 

Naruto sat silently on the couch that Shisui had insisted on breaking in by sporadically sleeping on the thing. Domestic instincts that he didn’t know he had guided Itachi as he flew through his home and prepared a cup of tea for Naruto, setting it down on the table in front of her. With his own cup, Itachi sat down across from her and took a gulp from the still too hot tea. 

The poor girl looked broken. She already had such a high burden placed on her, she didn’t need this. 

“Where should I start?” Itachi asked aloud, immediately cringing. He hadn’t meant to say those words, but he was grateful he did as he watched Naruto snapped out of her funk and grab the tea cup with both hands. She took a small test sip before taking a much larger drink after determining that it wouldn’t burn her mouth. 

Her shoulders slumped and she thumbed the lip of the porcelain. With large, tear-stained blue eyes, she looked at him. “The Kyuubi?” 

He should really go wake Hiruzen again to make the old man have this talk. This part was really more his fault. But no, this was his responsibility now, despite his doubts in his own abilities. 

Itachi ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair and leaned forward. Once again, he met Naruto’s gaze, hope seeming to waver across her expression. He needed to be careful with his words. 

Naruto had cried enough tonight. 

“You are Naruto Uzumaki, of that there is no doubt.” Itachi wanted to swear at himself, honesty would have been so much better. Naruto was candid and would appreciate bluntness in kind. Trying to pad the truth would do nothing. Naruto stared at him with her lip caught between her teeth. “However, the Kyuubi is sealed inside of you.” 

A look of relief washed over Naruto and she smiled for the first time that night. It only lasted a moment. 

“Is that why I don’t have parents?” Naruto sat up straight, nearly spilling what remained of her drink in her seat. She broke and held their gaze a dozen times in the span of a minute. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Mikoto and Fugaku but, I mean… my real parents. I kind of always hoped they’d come find me, or something...” 

“Yes and no,” Itachi answered without thinking. What was it about Naruto that allowed him to so easily open up with his thoughts? Around others, his thoughts were guarded and every action was calculated but, with her, it was the same as with Shisui. He felt at ease and could allow himself to speak freely. 

“Huh?” Naruto tilted her head in confusion. A moment later Naruto’s expression collapsed in understanding. “Oh.” 

Itachi stood from his seat and kneeled beside Naruto, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. “Naruto, your parents wanted you to be seen as a hero. While some of the villagers fear you because of the Kyuubi, there are those such as myself that see you for the hero that you are. As the Hokage of Konoha, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifice.” 

A blush spread across Naruto’s face and she gave him an abashed smile. Her embarrassment lasted only a moment before excitement overtook her. “Wait,” Standing up, she nearly forced Itachi to fall backwards. “You knew my parents! Who were they,” she questioned as she bounced from foot to foot. 

He really was a bad Hokage, unable to keep simple secrets from the one person that shouldn’t know them. Itachi stood up sharply and took a step back from Naruto. He ran a hand through his thick hair, letting out a long sigh that made him feel decades older. “I was only five when the Kyuubi attack happened.”

“Oh,” Naruto replied, her eagerness vanishing instantly. 

It didn’t feel right to leave it at that with Naruto. He needed her trust. “Ask my mother about Kushina Uzumaki tomorrow.” 

“Mikoto knew my mom?” Naruto exclaimed wide eyed. What little resentment, if any, she harbored about her mother being kept a secret from her was squashed under the weight of the blonde’s happiness. It was rather impressive. 

“Yea, they were best friends actually,” Itachi smiled and felt himself finally relax. “Have her show you the napkin.” 

“Napkin?” 

She’d find out later. Itachi kept his mouth shut to mute a yawn and stretched his body against the motion. It seemed as if Naruto was already back to her old self. “One moment Naruto, I have something important for you.” 

A moment later Itachi arrived from his room and walked nimbly to where she had waited. He kneeled down in front of Naruto and tapped her forehead gently. “Close your eyes for a moment.” 

“Why?” despite her question, Naruto did as she was told, swaying slightly as though she was ready to fall over at a moment's notice. It seemed even an endless ball of energy like Naruto got sleepy. Itachi didn’t waste a moment. 

He tied his headband around Naruto’s neck loosely. 

It was not uncommon for the Hokage to promote a Chunin or a Jonin on the spot, but it was unheard of to do so for a genin. “Naruto, I want you to know that I made this decision not because of what you are, but because of who you are.” 

Naruto opened her eyes and examined her new headband with a large, vibrant grin. “You mean, I’m a ninja?” 

“Yes,” Itachi nodded. “You are a ninja because your love of Konoha is greater than my own. One day, I know this will lead you to your dream. You will become Hokage.”

“But, if I become Hokage, what will happen to you?” Naruto’s lips formed into a frown. She shifted on her feet. “I mean, you’re not that much older than me and you’re really, super strong and a great Hokage!” 

With a smile, Itachi placed both of his hands on her shoulders. He knew that Naruto was not a critic of his and, although she was honest about her feelings, she was a little biased. Yet, still felt good to hear somebody say that after his thoughts from earlier today. “Don’t worry Naruto, I won’t be going anywhere for a long while. Now, it’s late and I’m certain my mother is worried about you.” 

Despite the hour, the two walked to the Uchiha compound together. The silence of the night was filled with talks about Konoha and its future. It was a nice, honest talk. Naruto was never afraid to add in her opinions, even being brave enough to say that a few of Itachi’s ideas were stupid, though she didn’t have much follow through on why. To her, they just were. It was a perspective he would have to consider.

Mikoto was passed out wearing her shinobi attire in the sitting room when they arrived. It was late, even by shinobi and Anbu standards. With a profound lack of elegance, Naruto snuck into her room in a failed attempt to not wake up the house. 

Itachi smiled as the house erupted in shouts and looked out the window to the stars. He had once been willing to die for Konoha, perhaps it was time to start living for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Team Seven was a hot mess. 

During their mission briefings, Sasuke would stand at attention in the middle of the room and more or less speak for the team. It seemed that Shisui had unofficially made him the official leader and spokesperson. While he would talk, their sensei would wander around Itachi’s office doing his favorite thing, causing just enough pandemonium to be mildly annoying. No picture frame or book would be left untouched or unflipped.

Fortunately, Sakura followed dutifully after Shisui to bring order to her teacher’s chaos. That was, until he began to mess with the stuff just out of her reach. She glared at him for just a moment before she began to follow after him with a chair. 

Lastly, there was Naruto Uzumaki. Who was standing by Itachi’s side with his hokage hat on her head and attempting to understand the public works forum that was on the top of a stack of papers. The knowledge of her mother had changed the girl in ways, the most noticeable being that she no longer wore pigtails. Rather, she let her hair trail down her back much like her mother's. 

She really did have beautiful hair. 

Itachi had to blink at that thought. He looked over to Naruto, seeing her lean softly against the side of his chair. She had a bit of her blond hair pinched between her nose and upper lip as a faux mustache. He examined it and felt oddly drawn to the color. It was unique, like golden honey. 

He tensed and felt a small tingle under his right ear that could only mean one thing. Shisui was amused at him. Itachi looked over at him, watching him move his eyebrows up and down suggestively. Itachi responded with a glare. Why was his cousin trying to set them up? She was twelve! It didn’t matter how beautiful her hair was! 

…crap. 

“Anyways,” Itachi coughed into his hand to gain the genin’s attention. “I’ve decided to accept your request. You’ll be given a C-rank mission.” 

He hadn’t actually been considering their strength during his silence, just the glossiness of Naruto’s blonde locks. He reached over to a pile of yellow scrolls on his desk and examined one closely. The lines seemed to blur for just a moment before they became clear. “Your mission will be to escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves and then guard him as he completes a bridge.” 

He tossed the scroll to Sasuke, who was likely the only sane one on their team. “And next time, go to the mission assignment room instead of my office.”

“Why?” Naruto asked as she cheerfully placed his hat back on. She fiddled with it until it sat just right. “You already finished all the paperwork, so all you were doing was playing with your pens.” 

She wasn’t wrong. 

“Regardless, you are to meet the bridge builder and establish a time to leave. Team Seven, you have your mission. See to it.” Sasuke nodded, Sakura bowed, Shisui gave a mock salute, and Naruto leaned over the chair and gave him a soft shoulder hug. 

“Shisui, a moment.” Itachi folded his hands in front of his face and leaned forward. Something had been bothering him for far too long, and today had only helped establish that notion. 

Shisui’s smile faded and he shifted on his feet, he motioned for his students to go on without him. “Look, you don’t have to worry. I’ll make certain they’re alright.”

Itachi sighed and shook his head carefully so that his hat didn’t shift. Naruto had taken the time to place it perfectly; he refused to ruin it. “No, I have a question for you.”

“Oh?” Shisui’s grin returned and he leaned heavily to one side, as he did often when he found something amusing. 

“Did you make me attracted to Naruto?” It wasn’t a question he asked lightly. Recently he had found himself seeking out the blonde, often to discuss Konoha, and other times to simply talk to her. At first he assumed it was because Naruto was a kindred spirit in her love for their village. Then it simply became refreshing how she didn’t put him on a pedestal. 

He had to know. 

“Hmmm, nope.” Shisui walked over to a bookshelf, taking one of the covers off of a novel and placed it on another. They weren’t even the same size. “I did make you attracted to blonde hair though.”

Itachi could only blink for a moment. That certainly explained a few things. Still he had to ask, “Blonde? Why?” 

It was a stupid question, considering the fact that Shisui was quick to announce that he was trying to set him up with Naruto. Even going so far as to enlist his own mother’s aid in the endeavour! He was fairly certain that the entire Uchiha clan was now trying to find a way to make Naruto an official member rather than just a protectorate.

And the chief candidates for that task were himself and his little brother. 

“To get you with Naruto, duh,” Shisui, explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. “Don’t get me wrong, I mostly went inside your head space to see what you were attracted to. Turns out, it was nothing! So don’t worry, your closeness with Naruto is purely natural.” 

It felt like a weight was lifted off of Itachi’s shoulders at that revelation. He relaxed back into his chair. Had he really not been attracted to anything prior to Shisui giving him a fondness for a certain color? 

“Are you mad?” Shisui asked after a moment, crossing the distance to Itachi’s desk as quickly as a heartbeat. He actually looked concerned, much like an overeager son realizing that by trying to help he might have made it worse. 

“No,” Itachi admitted dryly. “At least, I don’t think so,” Had it been for something major, like forcing him to love Naruto or vice versa, he would have been furious. Showing him how beautiful golden hair was hardly seemed to compare to the other things. 

“Just don’t don’t waste your technique like that again.” It was a warning he hoped Shisui would listen to, using the Mangekyo sharingan for such trivial things would only hasten its decline. 

“Ehh,” Shisui gave a hapless shrug and picked up one of Sasuke’s abandoned pencils to spin it between his fingers with practiced ease. “That wasn’t why I went in there. Originally, I wanted to pull you out of that whole disillusioned funk you were in about not being a good hokage.”

“Oh, so I have you to thank for that?” He had to admit that he was slightly disappointed that his attitude change was because of Shisui’s meddling and not due to his talks with Naruto.

With a bark of laughter, Shisui walked around to place a single finger right above Itachi’s heart. “Not even close, when I got there, this was already stolen.” 

XXXX

Itachi walked down the long halls of the Uchiha compound, lost in his own train of thought. The fact that Shisui was the cause of his recent infatuation with blond hair, specifically Naruto’s blond hair, was troublesome. He did find the Yamanaka clan’s trademark yellow strands alluring, but they lacked a certain flair that Naruto’s did. But, that wasn’t what was truly bothering him.

It was Shisui’s abuse of power. He had used his mind altering technique freely against his best friend and Hokage! For no other reason other than to make his scheme of pairing him up with his chosen candidate a success. Then there was the fact that his ‘heart’ was supposedly already stolen.

When asked to explain, Shisui simply waved it off, saying that Futaba would know more about it than he would. This simply compounded the mystery and trouble of Shisui’s ability. Itachi had once thought of it as nothing more than the most powerful genjutsu, but it appeared that it was something more. 

It didn’t feel right.

Itachi didn’t feel right. 

He braced against the wall inches away from Shisui’s home. Something felt very wrong. His lungs felt like they were burning with fire and freezing at the same time. His heartbeat was erratic and the world seemed to blur around him. 

His mouth filled with the taste of iron as he let out a wet cough that had come so suddenly, he was barely able to cover his mouth in time. In his fading vision, Itachi looked down at his hand to see it covered with blood. His blood. 

The light around him began to fade as the ground began to move towards his face. 

XXXX

 

A groan escaped him before he was fully awake. For a moment, his body felt heavy before that sensation passed. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in a dark yet familiar room, Shisui’s living room. The only light seemed to stem from a multitude of monitor’s positioned on the far side of the room. 

Tendrils of fatigue still gripped him, but he managed to sit up to gain a better understanding of his surroundings. This was his cousin’s house, or at least what bits of it could be recognized as Shisui’s. What had once been a simple albeit comfortable home was now overrun with wires crawling across the ground and up the walls. Some even hung from the ceiling. 

The couch was the same, including the uncomfortable lump that he always seemed to land on. 

His hand fell to his bare chest, he found a multitude of wires connected to his body, with a large cluster around his heart. 

“You’re dying.” 

Itachi’s head spun around to see a small woman sitting in front of the monitors, copper hair cascading down to her waist. She stood from her position and stalked across the cords as sure footed as a panther on the jungle floor. Her green eyes sparkled from behind large glasses; her body was petite in every sense of the word. She shoved a steaming cup into his hands.

“You’re also heavy,” she added drly. 

“Sorry Futaba,” Itachi said as he sniffed at the unusual black liquid. It had a strong yet pleasant odor. It didn’t smell like something that would make him feel better. “Is this medicine?”

Futaba looked at him like he was stupid which, admittedly, compared to her he might be. “It’s Tea.” 

Itachi sniffed it again. “What kind?” 

“Coffee,” Futaba replied as she held a similar cup close to her chest. She took a small sip and seemed to relish in the drink far more than seemed healthy. “You’re lucky Morgana found you… You’re also lucky Shisui would be mad at me if I just left you out there.” 

“Thank you, for the drink and the rescue,” Itachi replied softly and took a taste test of the drink. It was incredibly bitter, but oddly good. Moments later, he felt the effect, quickened heartbeat, burst of energy, heightened awareness all of it came surging into him. Quite a few ninja that could use a drink like this. Though, several others would be barred from drinking it. 

Naruto was firmly in the barred territory. 

Itachi was mid sip when he recalled the first words Futaba had spoken. He was going to die, thought that wasn’t surprising. Eventually, everybody died. But, she said that he was dying, as in currently in the process there. “What do you mean I’m dying?” 

Futaba blinked at him and then looked down at her coffee bitterly. “When I carried you, I noticed your heartbeat was off, so I took at look at it.” 

She motioned to all the monitors. Each had a graph or chart, the most noticeable one had what appeared to be a vague outline of a heart as it beat. His heart, judging by the way it seemed to be in rhythm with his own pulse. 

“I managed to find what caused you to faint. You have a degenerative heart disease.” Futaba mumbled into her cup and brought her knees towards her. “It’s bad, by the way. I don’t think the doctors in Konoha would be able to stop it. I know that I can’t, and I’m the best one in Konoha.” 

She wasn’t bragging. Itachi knew it was true that Futaba was a genius in just about any roll that wasn’t combat. Shame she was a recluse that only ever talked to Shisui, though he had stated previously she was slowly opening up to others. “How long until it kills me?” 

Futaba sighed and took another drink of her coffee. Her eyes were closed, seeming to steady herself. She let out a long, uneven breath. “I… I can’t really say for sure. Three years until you can no longer be a ninja. Maybe another three after that, but there’s not a lot I can say at this point.” 

Itachi let out a soft chuckle at his own fate. On the bright side, he’d at least have plenty of time to groom his successor.


	5. Chapter 5

“Naruto?” Itachi asked as the blond girl pulled on his arm with a surprising amount of force that matched her eagerness. She had ambushed him just as he had finished the day’s paperwork after verifying with his secretary that rest of his day was unbooked. “Where are you taking me?” 

Naruto gave him a toothy grin and continued forward without looking back, she didn’t even slow as they rounded a corner towards a busy Konoha street. “I just got my first paycheck from a real mission! So, as a thank you for being an awesome hokage, I wanted to buy you lunch! And I won’t be taking no for an answer!” 

“Shouldn’t I be the one treating you to lunch? For your first, successful C-rank mission?” The words fell out of his mouth without a thought. 

His questioning was rewarded as Naruto stopped dead in her tracks. For a moment she did nothing, then quickly turned around and began dragging him in a different direction. “I like that idea more, let’s do that one!” 

Any protest Itachi had died in his smile, though once again he found himself surprised at Naruto’s strength. She probably had a mean left hook. However, something seemed off. Then it hit him. They weren’t going toward Ichiraku's! “What, no ramen tonight, Naruto?”

“Oh, well I know you want sweets and Sakura showed me this one place, and then Mikoto said you would like another place, and since you’re paying I kind of thought,” Her ears tinged pink, as she mumbled incoherently. She shook her head violently and began to stomp towards their destination. “Look, I just don’t want ramen right now!” 

“But, what if I was in the mood for ramen?” Itachi couldn’t help but smile, teasing Naruto was just as enjoyable as it was easy. Probably because of how exaggerated her reactions were. 

Naruto let go of his hand and spun on her heels to face Itachi. With her hands on her hips she glared up at him in a way that only made Itachi want to tease her more. “Then stay in that mood until dinner and we can have ramen later!” 

“Yes ma’am.” Itachi’s amusement doubled as Naruto broke out into another grin. She quickly grabbed his hand once more and continued on her quest. 

Their destination was a small bakery cafe that Itachi had been eying for awhile. They had opened recently and he just hadn’t gotten around to visiting, namely because Shisui had stopped dragging him to places; now that he had Futaba. 

If it wasn’t for Naruto bringing him here, he would not have stepped inside. It smelled of fresh bread, tea, and soup. 

They were seated quickly and given a table next to the window. Naruto simply sat there blushing as they waited for their drinks to arrive, contently quiet. Itachi’s sweet tooth was throbbing at the idea of eating everything.

“So, how did your mission go?” Itachi inquired for no other reason than to fill the silence. He already knew the details from Shisui’s report, but he was keen on getting Naruto’s side of the story. 

She looked up from her tea and blinked twice before looking back down at her drink. “Oh, well, Shisui-sensei taught us some stuff while we were there, and me and Sasuke fought against a really tough opponent, we almost didn’t make it.”

Shisui had failed to mention that. 

“But I don’t think that Haku would have actually killed us, at least I don’t think that he really wanted to kill us,” Naruto said quickly, taking her cup in both hands and swirling its contents about. “Haku was too nice for something like that.”

“Did you speak to Haku much?” Itachi asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Naruto nodded. “Yea, I met him in the woods. I thought he was a girl at first, but it turns out he’s just a really pretty boy like you!” 

Itachi placed his cup down, unsure of how to respond to that. Nobody had ever called him a pretty boy. He was used to people being afraid of him; with his harsh looking eyes and deep lines marring his face. “I’m a pretty boy?”

Naruto bristled. Her hands fell below the table and she fidgeted slightly, cheeks flaring pink. “I, well, yea. You have long hair and… look, you’re just a pretty boy, okay?” 

“Okay, okay, I’m pretty.” A few of the other customers that had realized the Hokage was in the shop snickered at that. Itachi found it easy to ignore them and focus on Naruto. However, his companion was all too aware of the looks and glares the others gave them; she was fidgeting more than before, far too nervous. 

“Anyways, what happened to this Haku?” He asked to distract her.

“Oh!” Naruto nearly jumped out of her seat. Though, because of their food suddenly appearing or due to Itachi’s question, was unknown. She took a giant bite of a meat bun and, with her mouth full, began to talk. “Yea, Haku wanted to wander around a bit. He said he wanted to see the world before he came to stand by my side when I become Hokage, or something like that.” 

“Oh, is that so?” Itachi was very aware of the pang of jealousy that sparked through him, followed closely by acceptance that he wouldn’t be able to stand by Naruto once she became hokage. 

Naruto nodded and took another bite of her food, successfully devouring it in two more bites. “Yea-huh, I said he could come to Konoha because I have an in with the Hokage but, he said some other time. I think he’d like to join us once he’s ready!” 

Itachi sat back in his chair and pressed his palms against the table. He would very much like to meet this Haku and… assess his motives. “Well then, I’ll have our patrols look out for him but, is he a ninja from another village?” 

“No.” Naruto shook her head. “Zabuza was, but Haku was never part of a village. Besides that, he’s really smart and nice he’d be great for the village! He even taught me an important lesson!”

Itachi smiled and rested his cheek in his hand. He casually grabbed a bite of his anmitsu. “And what lesson would that be?” 

“Oh!” Naruto’s face went red and Itachi felt his blood freeze. If Haku did anything intimate with Naruto on Shisui’s watch, there would be hell to pay. He’d let Mikoto know about it first, let Shisui deal with that for a few days before he went in for the kill. Assuming Mikoto hadn’t already killed Shisui by then. “That I fight for my precious people!”

There was a wisdom in those words that resonated within Itachi. He understood full well the lengths one would go to for those precious to them. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Sasuke, and now Naruto as well. “That’s wonderful, Naruto.” 

“You’re one of my precious people!” Naruto blurted out loudly. Her entire body seemed to blush and she quickly clapped her hands over her mouth. Her blue were wide and, while they stared at him, she seemed to be looking into the past to take back her words. 

Itachi leaned across the table and touched Naruto’s shoulder. “You’re one of my precious people too, Naruto.” 

 

Though the blush remained, Naruto’s face lit up with her giant, toothy smile. 

XXXX

 

In no time at all, the Chunin Exams were upon them. Normally such an event would be a minor thing, primarily with only ninja from the affiliated villages bordering Konoha. However, this time, Suna would be sending a few squads to compete. Furthermore, this would also mark the Sound Village’s first foray into the exams, which meant two things for Itachi. One, more paperwork. Two, he would need to tread very carefully. It was imperative that he be a welcoming host to the allies of the Leaf Village while maintaining vigilance with the foreigners. 

With such a large group, it would be difficult. 

Itachi clicked his pen for the twenty-third time in a row before he placed it down and took long sip of Futaba’s coffee. The beverage was exactly what he needed right now. There was so much he had to make happen in such a short amount of time. 

Shorter still when his illness was taken into consideration. 

“How you feeling?” Shisui emerged from a window despite the fact that his office door was open. 

“I’m not some sick puppy, Shisui. I’ll be fine for a while now.” Itachi waved off Shisui’s concern like it was nothing. “I already have the medical director working on finding a cure, though I’m honestly more concerned about the upcoming Chunin Exams. Are you certain your team is ready for this?” 

Shisui snorted in a way that seemed to say that Itachi was an idiot. “Of course I’m certain, my kids are little monsters! Sasuke, like you, is silent, contemplative, and being a badass comes naturally. Sakura’s smart and keeps her head in the game and eyes on the prize.” 

“And Naruto?” 

A wide smile came across Shisui’s face and he gave a hapless shrug. “She’s stupid, headstrong, argues with Sasuke all the time, and tends to be hit or miss. But, she’s learning and hates to lose.” 

Itachi nodded. Those were all things he already knew about Shisui’s team, hearing it again only reassured him slightly. He was far to emotionally invested in Team Seven. Perhaps he should have taken that into consideration when formulating the team instead of letting Shisui have his way. 

At least on paper they were a solid team. 

Itachi let out a sigh. It was in the past now, there was nothing he could do except wish them luck. “Anyways, did you come here for a reason, or just to make my office a mess again?” 

As if the words reminded Shisui that he was indeed in Itachi’s office, he went to work by resting a few of the chairs on their back. “Oh, that’s really the only reason I need but, really I’m here to tell you that Jiraiya finally got back to us. He’ll be here within the week.” 

“And you’re certain you’re okay with him taking over Naruto’s training?” Itachi folded his arms in front of him, leaning back in his chair. He bounced his right foot for no real reason. 

“Are you certain you’re okay with the biggest pervert ever teaching your adorable future wife all manner of things?” Shisui countered and began the process of transplanting one potted plant into another. 

There was no part of Itachi that was fond of the idea; he wanted to be the one to train Naruto. It was his duty as the Hokage that would make that difficult, especially with the favoritism he’d already shown Naruto. Jiraiya was simply the logical choice to train her, the man was a previous hokage’s sensei and perhaps knew more about sealing than anybody in the village. “Jiraiya would be the best fit for Naruto,” he concluded. 

He so wished that he didn’t believe those words. 

“Whatever you say, Itachi. But hey, take it easy! Remember all of Konoha is here to support you if you’d only ask. Oh, and take Naruto out on more dates, you both seemed happier afterwards.” With the light bulb taken out of Itachi’s lamp, Shisui left through a different window. 

“It wasn’t a date!” Itachi slammed against the windowsill, ready to throttle Shisui. He glared at the retreating form of his friend; he could practically hear Shisui’s giggling. He and Naruto had simply gone out for lunch, as friends, and no matter how right Shisui was about his mood afterwards, it didn’t make the event a date!

Once his flash of anger vanished, Itachi sighed and walked to the roof. The view from the top of the Hokage Tower was one of the many perks of the job. Before him stretched Konoha in all its glory, a village truly hidden in the leaves. 

“You’re a great hokage.” 

Naruto’s words rang through his mind as clearly as a shrine bell. He still didn’t see it himself, all he had done was try to fix things. He had yet to create his legacy, something that would make his short term memorable. 

Brushing a hand through his long hair, Itachi pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. The Chunin Exam was upon him and, for whatever reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen.


	6. Chapter 6

Itachi braced against the wall; more blood than air exited his mouth. He should have been more perceptive of the things around him. Of Orochimaru’s depravity, his influence, and his obsession. He had lacked the foresight to see the attack on his home in its entirety. 

Minutes ago he had been on the edge of his seat watching Naruto and Sasuke battle in the chunin exams. He had to give Shisui credit for all his meddling in love lifes and general annoying tendencies, his friend knew how to bring out the best in people. 

And yet even now neither of them had seen the true depth of traitors among their numbers. Never before had Itachi regretted the notion that using Shisui’s ability on all of Konoha would be both morally wrong, and taxing on his friend. Still, as Itachi stared at Kabuto Yakushi he couldn’t help but feel that pang of regret. 

“So this is your doing then?” Itachi asked as he wiped away a bit of blood that clung to his mouth like a thick red sap. There was much he could tell about a man from a glance with his Sharingan, and yet Kabuto remained a mystery. He only hoped the man had an ego for playing down his skills for years. 

Kabuto pushed up on his glasses and smiled coldly at Itachi. Much was revealed to Itachi in that moment; details about Kabuto’s true personality. He looked down on everybody like they were simply stepping stones along his path. “Yes, my adoptive father was all too willing to allow his son to work alongside him in finding a way to stall your disease. It was all too simple to reverse the effects.” 

“Once, Lord Orochimaru found out about your condition, we knew we had to act, once Danzo knew of your condition he was quick to join outside, I wager even now he’s pulling out Shisui’s eyes from his skull.” Kabuto a cackle of a plan well put together. As though he was the sole mastermind behind everything and not some mad man’s pawn. 

Another spurt of blood alerted Itachi that he was running short on time. Still, it was rather foolish to think that even as his body failed him he would be weaker. The use of his techniques were strenuous, but the real danger was in the prolonged aftereffects on his body. 

If he was going to die anyways he could go all out and not worry about the consequences. 

Freed from his shackles and desperate to defend his home, his friends, his family Itachi unleashed his entire arsenal at once. Before Kabuto knew what had happened he was trapped in by Itachi’s genjutsu while the black flames of Amaterasu engulfed his body and Susano ran him through. 

The clone vanished in a puff of smoke. The terrible thing about Shadow clones and Tsukuyomi was that the memory transfer was forced, wherever Kabuto was he would be forced to go through the memories of nearly seventy hours of torture.

Surrounded by Susano’s armor, Itachi felt his life force began to fade faster than before. Resolute that he would spend his last day fighting so that Konoha may see another day Itachi couldn’t help but smile. Shame he wouldn’t be able to see Naruto become Hokage. 

XXXX

For a time Itachi drifted; balanced between life and death. He had pushed his body too hard or not hard enough. He couldn’t move at all and his heartbeat felt like a distant echo. He tried to lean towards life at times and others towards death but something was stubbornly keeping him on that Narrow line between the two. 

At times he was able to see the world outside of him, everything was covered in a murky fog from his nearly blind eyes. Only forms and colors remained to him dulled to the point where he was barely able to make his mother from the other Uchiha. 

For the brief moments, Naruto was there her blond hair still shined with more clarity than it should have. His eyes were drawn to her. She was frustrated and stayed in the room less than his family did. Not because they sent her away, but because she couldn’t stand just sitting around seeing him like this. 

He could understand that. She visited twice more before she disappeared along with Sasuke. One by one by one his family disappeared from the room, others came and went, their voices sounded like the roaring of distant waves. Soon only his mother remained. 

Sleep claimed much of his time, or what could be considered sleep; for it didn’t restore what little energy he still had, merely a time when he was unaware or could not remember what had passed. 

He blinked his eye and found himself falling into nothing. Then there was red and he landed next to a familiar table; It was one he hadn’t seen in a long time and only vague memories of the place splashed into his mind. This was the table that he and Kushina had sat at when she babysat him a few times. 

“Well, I didn’t really babysit you I just kidnapped you and forced you to hang out with me.” Itachi looked up to see Kushina kneeling opposite him on the table, a warm cup of tea was in her hand. 

Itachi blinked in confusion, of all the people to greet him in the afterlife why this woman? Was it because of Naruto? “Aren’t you dead?” 

Kushina snorted and placed her cup down. “Mostly, but anyways as much as I would like to say I’m here for Naruto I’m technically not, and as for why me… well, normally its supposed to be somebody you have unfinished business with or have respect for preferably somebody that hasn’t moved on yet either.”

Apparently, she could read his mind.

“No, you’re just thinking out loud.” 

“Oh.” Itachi had the grace to be embarrassed by that, he took a cup of tea that he wasn’t certain if it had been there the entire time or not. It didn’t taste like anything. “So why you?” 

“Well, you see,” Kushina sighed and pushed a bit of her hair back. “It was supposed to be Sarutobi, but he went and got himself sealed in the stomach of the shinigami, then it was supposed to be Minato but he’s in the same place, then there was the 2nd and 1st Hokage but I guess Hokage’s have an affinity for being eaten by the Shinigami, so yea after all them the dead person you had the most respect for that also wasn’t quite passed over was little old me.” 

“How have you not passed on yet?” 

“Oh a bit of me is still sealed in my little girl,” Kushina beamed happily. “I’m looking forward to seeing her Ya know? But I guess I’ll have to settle for her future husband for a bit.” 

Itachi choked on his tea and felt his eyes ready to bulge from his head. Was everybody trying to set him up with a girl five years younger than him? 

“I ship Itanaru; Besides your mom’s like six years younger than your dad, so it runs in the family or something.” Kushina waved her hands as though it was no big deal. Her gaze turned sharp and Itachi felt the temperature drop. “But if you do anything before she’s a woman I’ll come back from the grave and stomp on your balls.” 

He did not doubt in the woman’s ability to do so. “Anyways why am I here? To fill time until I die?” 

Kushina gave him a deep sigh and then scratched the back of the head so much like Naruto often did. “Well you see I’m kind of supposed to make you a better person with some words or something, but I’m not good at that so I’m just going to be blunt with you.” 

Itachi could only watch as Kushina mused over her thoughts. A silent eternity seemed to pass before Kushina exploded. “Right so basically all this whining about being a great Hokage is super annoying so you should stop it. Also, you worry far too much about little details. You think with your head first but you haven’t listened to your heart in so long that you’ve locked it up and forgot the key to it. Thank goodness Naruto stumbled upon it. In short, stop worrying about being the Hokage you think everybody wants you to be and start being the Hokage you want to be.” 

When Kushina paused for a moment to catch her breath Itachi asked. “Is that all?” 

She gave him a gaze so filled with fire that he could feel his skin burning under it. He wondered if Naruto would be like this when she grew up. Actually, wait, she was like that now. 

“Not it is not all!” Kushina snapped at him, she slammed both hands onto the table. “Stop with this bullshit I’ll give my life for the things I believe in. Do you think the people you’d save would want you to die dammit? Just how do you think Mikoto or Sasuke would act to your passing! So stop trying to die for Konoha and start living for her you pansy!” 

Naruto had made him realize that fact months ago, but it had been buried under the news that he was going to die. Now, the girl's dead mother was telling him the same thing. And the truth resonated within him. He had used his sickness as an excuse to start trying to die for a cause. 

It was too much for him and Itachi found himself laughing at his own foolishness. “I believe Naruto had taught me that lesson once before, but I had forgotten about it.” 

“Leave it to an Uzumaki to listen to their heart first.” Kushina pounded on her chest and smiled brightly. “Hard not to with the damn thing shouting at us all the time.” 

Itachi could only nod, the Uchiha suffered from a similar plight. “Kushina, thank you for this, but if you don’t mind me asking, how do I get out of here?”

Kushina blushed and refused to meet his gaze instead finding her cup of tea once again. “No idea, I’m new at this ya know.” 

XXXX

Life was violently thrust upon him, everything hurt a dull ache that seemed to spike at the slightest motion as though his entire body was bruised. Sleep seemed a welcoming temptress luring promising solace from the pain. 

“I don’t understand what the big deal is!” Futaba’s voice sounded near and he became aware of her hands being pressed against the foot of his bed. She sounded upset. 

Curiosity and concern drove Itachi into awareness as he embraced the pain of his body. When he opened his eyes he found them wrapped in a thick cloth, even what little light came through the bandages burned. He’d keep them shut for the time being. 

“Because of you damn brat.” An older womanly voice sounded raspy from years of shouting and commanding. He didn’t recognize the voice. “I’m not going to let some wet behind the ears, nobody, perform an experimental operation on a patient of mine that has only just recovered. The fact that you went behind my back and did the operation anyways makes me want to put you through the wall.”

“You said he was as good as blind anyways!” Naruto’s voice sounded the closest and he felt her press her hands onto the bed so near his arms. “And Futaba said she could fix most of it.” 

“What’d you do to me?” Itachi gave a soft groan as he sat up. The silence that filled the room was deafening. And then like a volcano Naruto exploded. 

“Itachi!” he could picture her face with tears in her eyes as she hugged him fiercely; pulling him up further. 

Itachi returned the hug with one arm despite the searing pain that shot through his body. “Nice to see you’re okay Naruto.” 

A snort came from near, it was the familiar snort that Shisui gave when he found something mildly funny. “Was that a sight joke because your eyes are bound?” 

“No.” 

“I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I am in you.” Shisui sounded actually wounded. 

“His wit stat isn’t high enough to make jokes like that anyways.” Futaba’s footsteps sounded on the floor as she bounced over to Shisui’s side. 

If Itachi would have rolled his eyes he could have. Naruto finally released him from her hug, he hadn’t realized just how long the girl had been embracing him. “My inability to joke aside, could somebody explain what happened.” 

A moment of silence drifted into the room. 

“Don’t look at me,” The older woman said mildly offended. “I saved his life, you brats can explain what happened.” 

“And you are?” Itachi asked, still having no idea who the woman was. 

She gave a heavy sigh and muttered a curse under her breath. “I’m Tsunade, your blond girlfriend and my perverted teammate found me and convinced me to come back to Konoha to save her boyfriend's life.”

“We’re not dating.” Itachi did his best to appear unflustered. 

Tsunade snorted. “Oh well, you should tell her that then because she came up to me crying. “Please I love him you have to save him please please please!” before she had even introduced herself.” 

“Granny!” Naruto shouted, her voice wavered with embarrassment. “You said you wouldn’t tell anybody about that.” 

“And I told you not to call me granny.”

Itachi coughed, to gain their attention. “I thank you for coming to my aid Lady Tsunade, but what was that argument with Futaba about.” 

A sigh that weighed a thousand pounds filled the room with silence. “You explain what you did short stack.” 

“You’re not that much taller than me,” Futaba mumbled, she stepped forward and let out a breath. “Okay, so although Tsunade saved your life she said that there was far too much damage done to your eyes and you’re likely blind now. As you know I’d been doing research on the Sharingan for awhile, long story short, in order to make it so you could see I swapped your eyes.” 

Itachi had to shake his head back in surprise, somebody else had his Sharingan now? Who? Sasuke? His father? Shisui? “With who?” 

“Yourself duh,” Futaba explained, he could practically hear the eye roll. “I took your left eye and switched it with your right eye.” 

“And that will work?”

“No idea!” Futaba clapped loudly. “We’ll find out after they heal; in the meantime it’s late and I hunger!”


	7. Chapter 7

Itachi glared at his blurred form in the mirror. It wasn’t fair to say that Futaba’s experiment was a complete failure, but nor could it be called a resounding success. He could see shapes, figures, and motions just as well as before. But details were lost on him. 

While he could still fight nearly as well as before, his favorite hobby - paperwork - was now a distant dream. He couldn’t help but cringe at the memory of finding a proper assistant to read the paperwork for him; as writing was no challenge to him.

Naruto had been both his first pick and volunteer, it worked for a while then it became apparent that Naruto’s vocabulary wasn’t up to snuff, and her spending the entire day trapped in a room was counter intuitive to her training. 

Shisui told him no, in hindsight that one made sense, keeping two of the most powerful ninja in the village locked to paperwork was a bad idea. 

There was an attempt to simply make Tsunade the Hokage. She said that she would do it if he could drink her under the table. He refused the bet based on principle. 

A dozen or so attempts later and he was no closer to finding an assistant than he was achieving a lasting peace. With a sigh, Itachi ran his hand through his hair and began the process of tying it into a ponytail. It had gotten far too long during his stay at the hospital. 

Somehow his family had convinced him to join them in a birthday/out of the hospital party -though really they just had Naruto tell him - where he was the guest of honor. He was not a fan of parties for or about him, he rarely attended any parties or festivals and if he did only for a few moments to make an appearance. 

“Itachi!” His front door was slammed open in a familiar way and Naruto’s voice echoed throughout his home. Her light footsteps pattered up to his room, where she came to a stop. “Itachi! You’re dressed right?” 

“Yes, come in Naruto.” Itachi allowed himself to smile as the blond entered his room with a hop in a skip. She was dressed in a blue blur that had fuzzy bits of orange swirled in for good measure, her blond hair was in a different shape that before. Odd how her hair seemed stubbornly cling to some clarity despite his withered eyes. “Have you come to escort me to the party?” 

Naruto’s hair waved as her head blurred eagerly up and down. “I can’t believe we get to have a party together!” 

Ahh yes, the third reason for the party. It was Naruto’s going away party. Sure he had agreed to Jiraiya’s original request. But he was going to miss the blond, she had become the little sister that he never had. Or at least that’s what he had been telling himself of late. Despite what everybody else said about their relationship. Naruto was nothing more than his little sister. 

Itachi gave Naruto a nod. “I’m certain it will be fun.” 

“How do I look?” Naruto’s footsteps were like those of a mouse as she spun in a small circle with her arms outstretched. Her voice held a nervous excitement, it was her first time wearing a Yukata. When she stopped Itachi could barely make out her blue eyes staring at him. 

“You’re a lovely blur,” Itachi replied with a bit more bitterness than he intended. 

“Oh right!” Naruto’s giddy outburst prevented him from amending his tone. She spun around trying to grab something that was just out of her reach, much like a dog trying to chase its tail. Then at long last, she pulled out a black shape. “These are from Futaba! She said to make sure you wear them!” 

The black object was nothing more than a case. Seeing the object through tactile sensation only Itachi opened it and felt the smoothness of glass inside of it. His heartbeat quickened. “Glasses?” 

Naruto probably nodded as her hair moved. “Yea! She won’t be at the party because she hasn’t slept making them once she found out you were as blind as a bat. But I think she wanted to avoid the party anyways.” 

The likely truth behind Naruto’s words were numbed to Itachi’s ears. He had thought his sight was lost, could it really be corrected by a simple pair of glasses. With a steady hand, he put the glasses on. 

The world snapped into clarity. He could see as well if not better than he could before. Itachi whirled back into the mirror and examined the sleek square framed glasses that now rested on his nose. Oddly they looked natural as though he was always meant to wear glasses. 

“What do you think?” When he turned to face Naruto she squeaked, her face went red, hands clasped over her mouth, with wide eyes that refused to directly meet his gaze only skirting along his eyes. “That bad?” 

Naruto shook her head no, her unbound hair roiled like a calm ocean day. She squeaked again, with a muffled scream, she unclasped her hands just long enough to peep out. “Never take them off.” 

Itachi looked back at the mirror, then back at Naruto - she squeaked again- then back at the case. A note rested in there that read. ‘Epic Item Futaba’s sexy glasses Removes blindness + 10 sex appeal to blonds.’ 

The note was punctuated with a caricature of Futaba and Shisui giving him a peace sign. 

If Shisui made Naruto attracted to men in glasses he was going to remove his friend's eyes himself. Preferably with Shisui still coherent. 

Shaking the scowl from his face Itachi looked once more at Naruto, her face still flushed but her hand's hand dropped her her sides. She had on an Uchiha blue Yukata highlighted with orange, it was a very Naruto outfit. “Now that I see clearly you do look cute.” 

Naruto beamed at him. “Great! You look awesome too! Especially the glasses! They suit you! Now come on! Let's go!” 

She grabbed him by the arm with such force he nearly lost his shoe. 

The party was an interesting affair, far less stuffy than the dinner when Naruto had been placed under Uchiha care. Mikoto had forced him and Naruto to sit at the head of the table as the honored guest and reason for their party. 

There was more than one allusion to him and Naruto appearing as though they were promised to each other. 

Naruto left the next morning with the blessing of the village and a heart set to return. 

XXXX

Itachi frowned as he read Naruto’s latest letter. Her training was progressing well, but it was her misadventures that caused him to frown. He knew that Naruto had a good heart and that she would trust people and do her best to help them. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Naruto or Jiraiya for that matter. 

It was that he didn’t trust this Ryuji fellow that had apparently bought Naruto dinner several times in a row. allegedly he could eat just as much ramen as she could. Surely Naruto knew that this… this… this boy! Was just trying to get into her pants and that she could do so so so much better. 

Like…well Nobody. Nobody was good enough to marry Naruto, not even Sasuke who was rising through the ranks of anbu quickly. 

A light knock on his door brought Itachi out of his musings. “Lord Hokage are you busy? There are a few uh, guests here to see you.” 

Itachi blinked, he didn’t have any scheduled appointments today. “Who are they?” 

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Kakashi is currently keeping the peace and the other Jounins are on the way, might I send in the first of them?” 

Itachi rose from his seat intent on finding out what exactly was happening. When he peeked his head out the door he had to wonder if he was in a genjutsu or if his glasses were playing tricks on his eyes. 

Several notable figures, including every single Kage, was standing in his hallway all waiting patiently. His secretary stood off to the side with a clipboard.

“I believe the Lord Kazekage was first.” His assistant pointed towards the front of the line where the Sand’s most recent leader stood flanked on either side by his siblings. Temari if he recalled her name correctly was dressed up and had a natural beauty to her. 

She had pretty hair but it wasn’t as pretty as Naruto’s. 

Itachi looked at his secretary and then back at the hallway that seemed to crackle with energy as the people of power glared at one another. The Fourth Shinobi War was about to break out in his hallway. “Okay, but why are they here?” 

His Secretary shrugged. “Most of them want treaties or trade deals.” 

“Very well, find a caterer and enlist as much help as you need to.” Itachi turned to the young Kazekage and smiled. “Please come on in… Gaara correct?” 

The stoic young man nodded as he entered Itachi’s office. “Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you Lord Itachi.” 

Gaara sat opposite of Itachi for a few awkward moments before he spoke in a slow deliberate tone. “I wish to get directly to the point.” 

“Please do, I suddenly have a rather busy day,” Itachi mumbled the last part just loud enough for Gaara to hear. 

“My apologies,” Gaara mumbled. “I heard that the MIzukage was coming with a proposal similar to mine so I had to act quickly.” 

“And that is?” Itachi was already growing tired of this game, he managed to wear his normally stoic mask. 

Gaara placed a scroll onto the desk and seemed to collect himself for a moment. Itachi could have sworn he got the slightest bit of flush on Gaara's face. “I wish to propose a lasting alliance between our villages sealed with a pair of political marriages.”

Itachi felt his heart sink and his eyes darted to Temari who did not look happy in the slightest. “I see and who would these marriages be between?” 

“My sister has given consented to marry into the leaf and becoming your bride, while I would become the husband of Naruto Uzumaki.” If Gaara noted that Itachi’s pen had suddenly snapped in half he didn’t show it. “I understand that Naruto is the container of the Kyuubi and likely the next candidate as the Hokage, she would not be required to stay in Suna, but I would encourage as frequent visits between the two of us.” 

For the good of Konoha for the good of Konoha for the good of Konoha. Itachi breathed deeply and tried to separate his desires from the logical choice. He succeeded but only desire remained. “With all due respect Gaara, I have no intent on marrying Naruto against her will, instead of forcing a political marriage between our Shinobi I suggest that we allow our ninja to intermarry I believe this would make for a stronger bond.”

“If Naruto should choose to marry me?” Gaara asked this desire was the core reason for this meeting between Kages. 

With tight lips, Itachi stressed. “I would support her right to choose.” 

Gaara stood abruptly. “I will begin courting her once she returns from her training trip. 

And so began Itachi’s third or fourth longest day. 

The Mizukage had a similar proposal to Gaara's only she offered to marry him herself, while Naruto would be paired with the infamous Haku. Itachi did not like Haku and had to resist setting the overly polite ninja aflame throughout the meeting. It ended similarly to the one with Gaara. 

Albeit with the Mei Terumi saying that she will be waiting for him in her quarters that night. 

Towards the end of the day, Itachi had come to a single conclusion. 

Nobody was going to marry Naruto.


	8. Chapter 8

Itachi yawned at another slow day that seemed to stretch out in front of him forever in all directions. He was a man of action, he needed to be doing something anything. A man could only play with his pens for so long before he snapped. 

Worse still was that slow days allowed him the time to worry and fuss over things. Like the speech for Shisui’s wedding he was supposed to be writing, or about Sasuke’s Anbu mission, or the box full of marriage proposals directed to him and Naruto. 

That was a beast he had been putting off for far too long. A lot of them were tied to various treaties and alliances. The thought of burning the box was a comforting one, but that would just make the other villages angry at him. 

His desire to protect his precious little sister from the world was just barely beat out by their shared dream of a world of peace. 

With one last glare at the box, Itachi threw his hat onto the hook and rolled his shoulders. “Might as well go train.” 

He opened the door and saw his “Precious little sister”, no wait, beautiful young woman, little sister, the ideal woman, little sister, future wife, little sister! Smoking hot blonde! He didn’t even know that Naruto had been an ugly duckling until he saw the swan that she had become. 

“Yo, Itachi.” That raspy voice he had once thought of as cute had grown up into a sensual tone that pulled at his heartstrings. Her blue eyes shined like a warm summer day, and her hair. Oh her hair his memory did not do her flaxen hair that flowed like liquid sunshine. “Long time no see.” 

His heart skipped a beat when she smiled. “I uhh, Naruto! I thought you were supposed to be a week away.” 

The letter said she was going to be here a week from now. He knew it said a week from now. This had to be an illusion conjured by boredom. Or more likely Shisui! 

“Heh heh, changed the date so that I could surprise you.” She stuck out her tongue and grabbed his hand. How on earth was it so rough and soft at the same time? “You’re not busy right? Let's go get food! I’m hungry!” 

His stomach felt empty., despite having lunch but a few hours ago. With a mouth as dry as the desert Itachi nodded numbly at Naruto. This had to be some kind of illusion or genjutsu, perhaps some kind of hallucination. Never before had he seen a woman this beautiful. “Sure, my treat I guess.”

“It’s a date then.” 

XXXX

Despite the years, the tea shop didn’t hadn’t changed much from when they last visited - the “grand opening” sign still hung above the entrance. While the place was good Itachi simply hadn’t gone there since the time with Naruto. 

“I’m surprised that you weren’t insisting on going to get ramen.” Itachi let out a low chuckled, he rested his head on one hand and simply looked at Naruto. He would never grow tired of staring at her, her’s was an eternal beauty.

“Yea, well.” With a stretch, Naruto rested her head and both hands, her smile was smaller but showed just as much joy as before. “I can eat ramen later, I wanted to be able to sit across from you and talk while we eat.” 

“But how will I hide the fact I’m talking with my mouthful?” 

That earned him a glorious snort from Naruto. “How will you even find your food if you keep looking at me like I’m the only woman in the world.” 

“You’re not the only woman in the world, simply the most beautiful.” The words came out as the honest truth with barely a thought from Itachi. His reward was Naruto turning crimson her; he was going to enjoy teasing her. 

She brought up the menu and dove her head under it. “I uhh, hey waiter we’re ready to order!” 

Itachi smiled at his victory it seemed Naruto could deal it, but she could not take it very well. He needed to press this advantage. “Oh, why are you so flustered Naruto?” 

She glared at him over the menu. “It’s your fault for being so smooth, can’t you at least act a little embarrassed?” 

“It’s going to take more than a few words for me to be embarrassed.” Uchiha didn’t really do embarrassed really, Itachi couldn’t even recall the last time he was embarrassed. Oh right, when he found a naked Mizukage in his bed. 

Not that he was ever going to tell Naruto that. 

XXXX

Naruto bit her lip as she followed Itachi around through the village. Her crush on him certainly hadn’t vanished in her years away from Konoha. If anything it was stronger than ever. He was just so… so… so infuriatingly awesome. 

Especially with those glasses. 

“So, what are we going to do now?” She stepped up to his side arms clasped behind her back. 

Itachi met her gaze for just a moment. He gave a deep sigh that he only gave when he was about to do something he didn’t want to know. She hated that sigh. “Since you decided to show up early, the rest of your team is away assignment, so we’re going to be taking care of something that I’ve been putting off for a while.” 

“Which is?” 

Itachi frowned. “You will see.” 

When they reached her future office Naruto darted past Itachi, snagged his hat and claimed the chair that was rightfully hers. With a flourish, she spun in the chair twice and created a mustache out of her hair by placing it between her upper lip and nose. She folded her hands in the way the Third Hokage had once done. “Ahh, young Itachi, what is this important business you have for me today?” 

Itachi walked past her with a warm chuckle. “Well Lord Hokage, today I must bring to you several proposals of an alliance, all of which have varying terms and conditions, and while we are able to accept them are there are a few terms that have been requested of us.” 

“Oh?” Naruto said in her best old man voice. “It sounds like everything is set then, why have you brought this to my attention?” 

His smile vanished when Itachi pulled down a box filled with scrolls. He pulled out several scrolls and placed them in front of Naruto, there were five in total. “The alliances have a common request, to be sealed with a marriage proposal.” 

Naruto grabbed one of the scrolls and found the symbol of the sand on it. She allowed her fo-mustache to fall. “So who wants who.” 

“You.” 

Naruto stared at the scroll in her hand like it might bite her. “Who wants me?” 

“All of them.” 

“Five people want to marry me?” A panic set upon her. She didn’t want to leave Konoha! Who would even want to marry her? She was loud, annoying, stubborn, accident prone, and a political incident waiting to happen. And yet she had five marriage proposals! That was more than the number of people that had asked her out! 

“Not five.” Naruto let out a breath of fresh air at Itachi’s correction. “Those are just from Gaara, he told me that the alliance does not hinge on you marrying him, but he seemed intent on courting you.” 

“Gaara?” Naruto furrowed her brow in frustration. That name seemed familiar. “Oh was he the sand jinchuuriki that I punched back during the invasion?” 

“Yea he’s their Kazekage now.” Itachi began to place a more varied collection of scrolls on the desk one by one until the box was empty. 

“Wow that’s awesome!” Naruto couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride and hope because her fellow jinchuriki had become a kage. “But why does he want to marry me? All I did was punch him!” 

Itachi laughed at that. “Beats me, that Haku fellow is your intended should you choose to accept the Mist’s alliance.” 

“I punched him too!” Naruto began to read through the scrolls with reckless abandon, finding her own name among the numerous characters only for it to be paired with another boy she beat some sense into. “I punched this guy too!” 

“And this one! And this one! Why is it that when I punch people they want to marry me!” Naruto whined tossing the last scroll up into the air. She slouched down in the Hokage’s chair and groaned. 

Itachi placed a hand on her arm and kneeled down beside her. “Sorry if this seems like a lot, but I felt like you should know considering it involves you a lot.” 

Naruto groaned and kicked her feet against the desk. “You’re not going to marry me off are you?” 

She didn’t want to think Itachi would do such a thing to her. But she wanted him to confirm it. 

He squeezed her arm and a small measure of rage flashed across Itachi’s face. It reminded her of the night with Mizuki, she had never seen him so fierce. Then it faded. “Naruto, you don’t have to marry anybody you don’t want to.” 

“Good.” Naruto grabbed Itachi’s hand and smiled at him. “Because the guy I’m going to marry loves Konoha as much as I do.” 

With a sudden flash of courage, Naruto swooped to the side and pressed her lips to Itachi’s cheek pushing up his glasses slightly. 

So that’s what Itachi looked like when he was embarrassed.


	9. Chapter 9

Men often complained or joked that the signals women gave were too subtle and that it was too difficult for the average man to pick up on any signal. Itachi had long considered himself strongly in the oblivious portion of the population. 

Fortunately for him, Naruto’s signals were blunt. They were impossible to misinterpret, as obvious as the sky was blue. 

“Itachi!” Naruto burst through his door, she smiled when saw him in the kitchen. It was one of her favorite places to see him. 

They were in what Shisui had described as ‘That awkward phase where she basically lives with you, expects you to feed her, but like you can’t even kiss her yet because more than friends, but not quite lovers, and you’re basically married without any of the benefits.`

Evidently, Shisui had gone through a similar phase with Futaba that lasted a long while because they were both shy and awkward about it.

Naruto was awkward about it, but there was no shyness in her actions. 

“Good morning Naruto, how are you?” Itachi couldn’t help but smile when she was around, letting her take his spare key was a wise choice. 

Naruto bit her lip and looked at Itachi up and down, her face was red but her eyes smiled at him. With no hesitation she socked him hard in the arm, a habit she had developed recently. Jiraiya must have taught her something about Tsunade's fighting style because Naruto’s punches hurt more than they should. 

“Ow,”Itachi whined in real mock pain, he rubbed his arm already feeling the bruise that was going to be there later. “When are you going to stop punching me?”

“When I get a proposal from you!” As subtle as a blizzard in the summer. Naruto pulled back and punched him in again. She glared at her fist and like it had betrayed her. “I think it's broken.” 

The bruise on his arm stopped hurting when Naruto’s words slammed into him like Tsunade had just dropped kicked his mind. Sure they were close, closer than friends, but Itachi had planned on taking it slow, so as to avoid a public fiasco. 

Apparently, Naruto wanted to kick things into overdrive. 

“Why is it this bothering you?”

“Because!” Naruto pouted, crossing her arms with a huff. She looked adorable when she pouted. 

Itachi rolled his eyes. “Because why?” 

“You know!” She made a gesture with her hand. “All those boys out there. I don’t even know any of them and they keep asking me out! It’s creepy and annoying and most of them are losers!” 

“Well, most of them probably didn’t expect the mousy-faced loudmouth knucklehead to come back as the most beautiful woman in Konoha.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose, a gesture Naruto thought was cool, though he only did it whenever he was trying not to stutter. “You’re still a loudmouth though.” 

For all her bravado and bluntness Naruto was easily flustered when it came to well… when it came to him. He had seen others try to make advances on her, while she was never cold, she was either grossed out or simply didn’t car. But when he made an advance on her, well all of her spunk turned to mush. 

It was adorable. 

Naruto took a step back, her hand darted to the collar of her shirt and her face was flushed, there was something enchanting about the way her ears seemed to grow brighter than the rest of her face. Her blue eyes darted about trying to focus on anything that wasn’t him. “B-beautiful?”

Her stutter emboldened him. Itachi reached forward and drew her gaze towards him by leading her chin towards him, making it impossible for her to look at anything but him. This was what Naruto wanted. She had made it no secret that she wanted to be in a relationship with him. 

“The most beautiful,” Itachi said leaning in close to Naruto. Her eyes were wide and she looked like a deer caught by surprise. “Though I might be biased, you’re my girlfriend after all.” 

“Si-since when?” Naruto squeaked out, her body seemed to hang on his finger like a cloth on a clothing line. 

“Just now.” 

“Oh.” Her voice faint; barely a whisper on the wind. 

The timing felt right, Itachi leaned down and pressed their lips together. It would be a lie to say that he hadn’t wanted to do that since she had returned, every moment in her presence he spent wondering when to kiss her. 

Her rough slightly chapped lips had a softness hidden beneath them. When she started to kiss him back he pulled away. 

Naruto pouted, he was just tall enough that he could easily move out of her range by standing straight. “So I’m your girlfriend now?”

“Yep,” Itachi said like nothing had even happened between them. His own heart racing faster than he thought possible. It took all his will to keep his hands steady as he continued to clean the dishes. 

“And you’re my boyfriend?” 

Itachi nodded, the smile had yet to leave his face since she had entered his home this morning. He had passed a point of no return with her and there would be no going back on either of their parts. 

The Five years between them seemed so small now, indeed the age between his own parents was greater. And they married soon after. He imagined Naruto wouldn’t want to wait much longer if only to stop her onslaught of suitors. Though perhaps he should take Sasuke up on the offer to intimidate them. 

A poof, followed by rapid footsteps brought Itachi’s full attention back to Naruto. A clone of her was running out the door a giant smile on her face. 

It was like a switch had gone off in her head. Gone was her confusion, embarrassment, and shyness. Her bashfulness became brash as she jumped on him; her legs snaked around his waist and her arms around his neck.

She kissed him that time, It last longer than before, a series of smaller kisses that led from one to the next like a chain that bound them. 

“I have to,” Itachi said in between Naruto’s kisses. “Go to the office, soon.”

Naruto barely paused her assault. “Clone.” 

Ah. 

XXXX

Naruto examined herself in the mirror, red was a good color on her. She had often imagined what she would look like with her mother’s long near crimson locks. But Itachi liked her blond hair so she couldn’t complain too much about getting her father’s hair. At least it wasn’t too spiky, especially when long. 

She spun again enjoying the way the dress spun around her knees. The dress was a deep red that Futaba had picked out for her weeks ago, it was a bit tight around her chest. Naruto cupped her breasts and jostled them slightly in hopes that moving the flesh around would make it less tight. “Don’t tell me they’re getting bigger again.” 

“Only slightly,” Itachi’s voice came from behind her. 

Naruto spun around to glare at him for entering the room without knocking - sure, it was technically his bedroom, but this is where she kept her clothes now. It was only a matter of time until Itachi broke down and asked her to move in. But her anger vanished when she saw him.

Her boyfriend was already a handsome hunk even when he was dressed casually. Seeing him dressed up, was another thing entirely. With a more modern dress shirt, vest, and tie - that thin red tie was absolutely doing it for her right now - Itachi was drop dead gorgeous like he had just walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. 

If she had been born a gay male, perhaps even a straight male, she would have gotten an erection so fast people would be calling her the yellow flash. 

Damn him for being such a respectable gentleman and not taking her here and now. And damn her for not being able to ignore his wishes to take things at least a little bit slow. He did have a point though, maybe getting married a week after they became a couple - she still swooned when she thought about it - was not the best-laid plan. 

But how could she not want that she’d had a crush on him since… since… forever! Not to mention the fact that he was the sexiest man in Konoha. “It’s not fair!”

“What’s not fair?” Itachi asked, his hands rested lovingly on her shoulders, a gesture Naruto absolutely loved especially when he began to rub small circles on her back with his thumbs. 

“That you’re the smart one, the funny one, and the sexy one in our relationship.” Naruto folded her arms and pouted. 

Itachi gave a soft laugh and draped his arms around like a protective cloak that refused to let any harm come to her. “You think I’m the sexy one?” 

“Well duh! Oh, and you’re a stronger ninja!” 

With his thumb on her chin led her gaze back to the mirror. “To me, you’re the most beautiful woman in Konoha, as to me being the sexy one? I think you take that title, as well as the funny one.” 

“And the smart one?” 

“I think I’ll hold onto that one.” He said holding her tighter. She’d let him have that one. 

Naruto smiled as she looked into the mirror. As good as he looked on his own, together they looked much better. “Fine, you can have that one but I’m going to take the title of best ninja from you!” 

“I look forward to that day.” He leaned down close and trailed a few tender kisses on her neck up to her cheek, she turned to place their lips together. They had both gotten better at kissing it seemed. When she looked up at him everything seemed to make sense. “You know, I think we’re just a sexy couple.” 

“I can agree to that.” 

XXXX

Naruto laughed as Itachi spun her around near the center of the dance floor. The infectious happiness that was a wedding had only made her mood all the brighter that day. It was a small affair, with herself being Futaba’s maid of honor, Itachi Shisui’s best man, Sakura had been a bridesmaid and Sasuke a groomsmen. 

It was a small but lively affair that happened in one of the gardens near the Uchiha compound, nearly all of the people that attended it were Uchiha. Or soon to be Uchiha if the way Sasuke was holding Sakura said anything about their relationship. 

“I think Futaba is getting ready to leave,” Itachi whispered in her ear as he nodded towards the bride and groom. 

Naruto couldn’t help but smile as a red face Futaba stared at her feet while trying to dance with her now husband. She took the wrong step two seconds too late without fail. “She doesn’t like to be the center of attention.”

Itachi nodded and pulled her in close. “And what about you?”

Naruto only smiled up at him as she glided around his practiced dance steps like a chaotic fey. She might not know the dance, but she knew how to dance. He spun her around, when she landed back on her feet, the bridge and groom had vanished. “They’re gone.”

“Want to go home before we get roped into cleaning up?” Itachi whispered he pulled her close. A firm hand around her waist. 

“Home? As in our home? Not your house?” Naruto hoped she heard him right. Screw it he said it was home so it was true she’s moving in tonight no matter what he says. 

Itachi nodded. “You’ve basically moved in already, I think it's time we make it official, Naruto will you move in.”

She silenced him a kiss. “That includes sleeping in the same bed? And a lot of cuddling right? Oh and no shirts in bed, that’s a good rule.” 

“I can agree to that.” Itachi pushed up his glasses in a failed attempt to make his blush go away. His eyes carried in them a wonderful glint. “Now let's go before my mother directs her attention on us.” 

“She gave me a condom earlier.” Itachi spun to look at her wide eyed. “She said to get lots of practice cause she wants to spoil some grandkids.” 

“You’re sixteen!” Itachi shouted bringing all eyes in the room onto them. For a few awkward moments, not a person in the room stirred. 

Then Itachi picked her up and vanished.


	10. Chapter 10

They had done it, every single disaster, every single malicious scheme or vengeful deity was met with miracle after miracle. And while he had no small role in the conflict, the glory belonged to team seven, his little brother Sasuke, Sakura the girl who was probably going to be his sister in law, and Naruto the beaming hyperactive blond ball of pure joy and energy that he was so going to marry.

He had told her to stay safe, that he would be to tempted to try and protect her on the battlefield. She told him to fuck off and that she was going to fight in the war even if she had to castrate him. In the end, they compromised and she was allowed to fight, and he was allowed to keep his balls. 

It was worth it though, Naruto had never looked more beautiful than she did right now, basking in victory and radiating power as she smiled proudly atop a defeated deity. 

“She sure is something huh?” Itachi turned to his right where his reanimated predecessor stood. It was the Fourth Hokage, well most of him, he was missing a few limbs, and was literally falling apart as they talked. 

“Yea,” Itachi smiled as Naruto danced hugging Sasuke and Sakura as she basked in the praise of the ninja world. “She would make an excellent Hokage to lead the ninja world into an era of peace.”

“Maybe.” Minato shrugged. “But she’s a bit too much like Kushina, wild, unpredictable, and emotional as well, she’d follow her heart every step of the way, and while that can lead us to peace, it's the same thing that once destroyed the Uzumaki.” 

Itachi clenched his fists a spike of anger flared through him. “You don’t think your own can become Hokage?” 

“No, that’s not it at all.” Minato moved the stub where his arm should have been as though he was scratching his head. “I think that she’d be a great Hokage, but she’d be a better Hokage with the right Husband behind her.” 

Itachi looked back over his shoulder, this had his mother written all over it. “Did my mother put you up to this?”

“Kushina did actually. One of her last words to me was to make sure that Naruto married either you or Sasuke cause Mikoto wouldn’t raise any crappy kids.” Great, he was getting permission to marry his girlfriend from her dead father. “So when I heard that you were in a relationship with her I was kind of happy, and a little bit angry at the same time. But it sounds like you were a good Hokage too.”

“Thank you?” This was awkward. This was really really awkward. And he lived in awkwardness, hell he thrived in it. “But shouldn’t you be spending what time you had left with your daughter? I’m sure she’d appreciate that more, than you setting her up for marriage.”

Minato shrugged. “Call it a selfish request, but if you’re my daughter’s future, well.”

That caused Itachi to laugh. “Me in charge of Naruto’s future? Ha, she’s the one that has my future in her hands.” 

“All the more reason to marry her then.” Minato winked at him a coy smile on his face as he walked towards his daughter. 

Somedays, actually every day, it felt like the entire universe was hellbent on making him get together. Something he was becoming increasingly okay with. He already loved waking up with Naruto in his arms, to have her long golden hair, tangled around him, the way she mewled when he had to leave early in the morning. The way she managed to pull him back in for just a few more moments. 

He wanted those moments every day of his life. 

Fuck it, Naruto was going to say yes. How could she not, besides his own mother she was the one that had been pressing their relationship forward. But would it be stealing away her glory if he was to propose right now? 

“Itachi?” Naruto appeared in front of him, her yellow hair was slick with sweat, and her outfit was torn in multiple places, but she was alive and victorious. She practically glowed, well she was glowing a few minutes ago as some kind of Kyuubi reincarnated god thing thanks to sage mode. But that wasn’t important, what was important is that Itachi was now face to face with the most beautiful woman in the world. 

“I saved the world,” She stood proud hands on her hips, only serving to make their height difference all the more apparent. “I think that deserves a massage and a bunch of kisses. Maybe even a funny shaped hat and your office?” 

“I have a better idea.” Itachi smiled, slowly bending down onto one knee he pulled out a kunai and offered her the ring on the handle. “Naruto Uzumaki will you marry me?”

Glomped. That was the only word that could accurately describe what Naruto did to him. With a high pitched squee, she tackled him onto the ground yanking the Kunai from his hand and throwing it far away, hopefully not hitting anybody. She sat on his chest, her small body feeling deceptively heavy as she pinned him to the ground. 

Her sparkling blue eyes looked down at him as her hair created a golden curtain that hid them from the world. “Sure, but I still want to be the Hokage, so we’ll say that’s your proposal thing instead of a ring?... especially not a kunai ring.” 

“I’m starting to think you’re just with me because I’m the Hokage.” Itachi smiled, his hand finding its way to Naruto’s cheek. With the wars over and the greatest threats to their peace vanquished it was time to focus on what really matters. “Naruto, I love you.”

She snorted. “Duh, I know that.” With a smile full of mirth she kissed him, it was the small delicate kind of kiss, the kind she gave him every morning when he woke up and every night when they went to bed. He needed those kisses like he needed air. “I guess I love you too.” 

“Can you two get a room!” Shisui shouted, serving as a wonderful reminder that they were in a public area surrounded by numerous Ninja. 

XXXX

The blaring of their alarm clock signaled that it was Naruto’s favorite time in the morning. Sure waking up sucked, but when she woke up to her future husband's arms wrapped tightly around her it felt so wonderful. With a lazy slap, she silenced the offensive clock and turned to snuggle into Itachi’s warm muscular chest. 

The no shirt rule was definitely one of her better ideas, who cares if he got to ogle her boobs, she got his gloriously (If slightly pale) Uchiha chest all to herself. 

She felt Itachi’s lip touch the tip of her head, he was better at waking up than her, that’s why he always helped her. It was a long, relaxing process that was well worth the thirty minutes. “Naruto it’s timed to wake up.” 

“A few more minutes, Tachi,” The I of his name was too much work this early in the morning. “I want my snuggles.”

He began to massage her back with small precise circles that were a thousand times better than sleep. His strong hands working miraculous circles into her that left every muscle in her body wide awake. 

All good things had to come to an end and Itachi’s responsibilities took over dragging him out of bed, and her along with him as she refused to let go of him until it was officially wake up time. He sat her down in front of the mirror and began to comb her ridiculously long hair. 

Itachi was a man that enjoyed the simple things that quite frankly drove her nuts. He liked doing paperwork. He liked doing her hair. He was happy to do the dishes, laundry, and basically all that girly stuff that she hated. Especially paperwork. 

As Sakura put it, she was spoiled rotten. 

“What’s on the agenda for today,” Naruto yawned at the Itachi in the mirror as he straightened her hair, it was longer than Inos at this point, maybe she should get it cut. Nah, Itachi would probably have a heart attack if she did that. 

“I have a meeting with the civilian construction corps, Something about expanding out behind the Hokage Mountain and building on top of it as well.” 

Boring crap. 

“Shikamaru wants to talk about the chunin exams, from the sounds of things All the other Kage will be participating as well, which means that the smaller villages will want to join in as well.”

 

Naruto blinked, she was dressed now, Itachi must have used some ninja fuckery to do it, she looked good in the Kage robes. Hers had flames on it much like her fathers once had, honestly the gown was cool and all but it wasn’t her style. She needed something cooler than that. “Sounds like its going to be the biggest Chunin exam ever!”

“Which is why Shikamaru wants help with it, Says the stress is going to make him go bald.”

“Shame, if that happens I’ll have to find a new backup husband,” She smiled up at him as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that he doesn’t die from stress, oh and should we start operation Shikatem now?” 

“That’s up to you.” Itachi kissed her forehead gently before he placed her Hokage hat on her now beautifully straight hair. “Now then, let's start the day Mrs. Hokage.” 

With a smile, Naruto hoped up to place Itachi’s Hat on his head. “After you Mr. Hokage.” 

It started out as a joke on Naruto’s part. She’d sit at Itachi’s desk wearing his hat and his robe doing the Hokage’s duties. Nobody thought this was strange, and before either of them knew it, her face was on the Hokage mountain and Konoha was blessed with two Hokages. 

They’d make it official at some point, just like their marriage. But for now, they would simply live their lives and let the world think what it wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr! yojimbra.tumblr.com
> 
> ... it also has a link to my Patreon!... which would help with things.


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